Subtitle: This message has tremendous relevance
to this materialistic sociey today! Listen.

Pastor Bob Reid RFRFBC777@cs.com

The New World Order is coming! Are you ready? Once you understand what this New World Order really is, and how it is being gradually implemented, you will be able to see it progressing in your daily news!!

Learn how to protect yourself, your loved ones!

Stand by for insights so startling you will never look at the news the same way again.

YOU ARE NOW ON THE CUTTING EDGE

Please turn to Luke, chapter 12.

This portion of Jesus teachings is about assets and money. What we have or
don’t have is not the important thing. What we do with it is the important
thing.

And the mindset behind our action, or why we do it is the important
thing.

And even more important than anything else is the will of God, God in our
lives, and our relationship with the Lord.

The other day I heard about a man who:

* brushed his teeth twice a day

* went to the doctors twice a year for checkups

* wore his boots when it rained

* slept with the windows open to get fresh air

* stuck to a diet of fresh vegetables and fruits

* got at least 8 hours sleep every night

* never smoked, drank or lost his temper

* exercised faithfully every day

* worked hard and saved every dollar he ever earned

* was all set to live to be a hundred years old -- But he died at
25!!

His funeral will be held Tuesday. He is survived by 18 specialists, four
health institutes, six gyms, numerous manufacturers of health foods and vitamins
and a $1000,000 bank account.

He made just one mistake - he forgot God.

An atheist was sitting under a tree one day thinking.

"God," he said, "you know I don’t believe in you, but if you exist, you must
be stupid. Look at this huge oak tree. It has little teeny acorns on it. And
look at this huge pumpkin growing on this weak, puny little vine. Now, if I had
been you, I would have put the acorn on the little vine, and the pumpkin on the
huge, strong oak tree."

While he was reflecting on his great wisdom and wishing that he had a mirror
to see how wise he looked, an acorn fell on his head. "Thank God it wasn’t a
pumpkin," he cried out.

The reason I told you that one was to say that ‘Our thoughts are not God’s
thoughts.’

Nowhere is this more true than in our thoughts about finances. Like the rich
man who was showing his lands to the new pastor who was visiting his home for
the first time. He took him out on the porch facing east. There were hundreds
and hundreds of acres of cotton. The pastor thought there must be a fortune
there in cotton. Then they walked around the house to the north side and there
was a huge corral and what must have been a hundred beautiful horses. Again the
pastor thought that there must have been a fortune in fine horses there. Then
they walked around to the west porch and there out as far as the eye could see
were corn and sugar beet crops. Another fortune, thought the pastor.

When they got to the South porch, again there was a sight to behold - must
have been a thousand or more cattle grazing out in the fields. "Well, what do
you think?" asked the farmer. The pastor pointed up to the sky overhead and
asked, "What about your assets in that direction?" "Well, I guess I don’t have
any" was the answer.

Like the man in Jesus’ parable, his life and business had no room for the
Lord - he had forgotten God.

And then there are those who make the mistake of forgetting people when they
are in a position to help them. The Bible is clear on this: Gal 6:10 "As we have
therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who
are of the household of faith."

Phil 2:4 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the
things of others."

A man once said, "If you want to be miserable, think much about yourself,
about what you want, what respect people ought to pay you, and what people think
of you."

His friend answered and put it this way, "It is when we forget ourselves that
we do things that are most worthwhile and remembered."

Like the man I heard about the other day who was taken on a tour of the next
world. On reaching the regions beyond, he was surprised to see the people all
seated at a huge and beautiful banquet table loaded with appetizing food. On the
wall was a sign giving the one rule that was strictly enforced: EVERYONE
MUST USE THE KNIVES AND FORKS PROVIDED BY THE MANAGEMENT. The problem was this
silverware was all about 10 feet long. No one could get a bite of food near his
mouth. They were all starving to death; and that was hell!!

When the tour arrived at their next stop, they again saw all the people
sitting down at banquet tables loaded with the same appetizing food and they
were holding the same 10 foot long silverware. But they were having a great
time. They were feeding each other, and that was heaven!!

Heaven on earth is when we do for others; Hell on
earth is when we only do for ourselves.

In Luke chapter 12, verses 1-12 Jesus is speaking of some great and important
issues -hypocrisy - judgment - hell - the unforgivable sin - the ministry of the
Holy Spirit. And then - all of a sudden, without any warning - a man yells out
and interrupts Him! A man who apparently had been betrayed by the greed of his
brother. "Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with
me."

There are 5 responses of the Lord to this incident which takes the context
all the way down to verse 34.

Response 1 - verse 14 - Jesus did not come to be a judge between people who
are having financial disputes. He came to seek and to save that which was
lost. He came to call sinners to repentance. He came to defeat the works of the
devil. He came as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world He
came as the sacrifice for the sin of the world. He came to open the gates to
glory through faith in His shed blood

Later, He would be the Final Judge - for His people at the end of their lives
for His people at the end of the church age - the rapture of the church
for the unbelieving world at the end of time - the Great White Throne
Judgment.

Response 2 - Vs 15 - This is 1 of the 3 key verses in this passage. Jesus is
saying, "Beware of greed - Beware of covetousness -- A man’s life does not
consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Response 3 - verses 16-21 - This is the parable Jesus told - the story of a
man whom He called a fool. The man invested in himself and not in God. He
became rich in himself but not rich toward God.

Response 4 - verses 22-30 - Here there are many words from our Lord
concerning God’s certain and absolute care for His people. He spoke of the birds
and the flowers, of their beauty and their lives, of God’s care for them - and
then makes His point. If God takes care of them, surely He will take care of
us.

Therefore - Response 5 - verses 31-34 - Don’t worry about things - no matter
how important they may seem to be - worry about this; worry about your
relationship with the Lord. Verse 31 - "But rather seek ye the kingdom of
God and all these things shall be added unto you."

Jesus called the man in the parable a fool. The Bible uses that word very,
very carefully and specifically. We use it in a cruel sense to put somebody
down. The Bible uses the word not in reference to a person’s intelligence; but,
to his relationship with God. In Psalm 14:1 it says "The fool hath said in his
heart, there is no God."

We never read in this passage that this man actually thought that - but his
actions demonstrated that he did - he lived that way - that is, as though there
were no God. He ignored the Lord in his life, his finances and his business.

Nothing measures the maturity of a Christian like his use of wealth. It may
be the greatest test of discipleship. That’s because nothing gives us the
freedom to ‘do our own thing’ like wealth. And nothing is more damaging to our
relationship with the Lord as ‘doing our own thing’. Thus Jesus says in verse
13,

"Beware of covetousness."

This man was a fool for a number of reasons.

1 - He was in love with himself instead of God. "my crops…my soul…my barn…my
goods…" The words "I" and "my" are used 11 times by him here in these few
verses. Conversations reveal character. I read the other day where Eleanor
Roosevelt could speak for 2 ½ hours without referring once to herself. At the
other extreme was Elizabeth Taylor, the actress. For her it was about 9
seconds.

2 - He was a fool because he did not recognize where his wealth came from.
Jesus never spoke against the man’s diligence. He probably got up early and
worked hard and for long hours through the day and night - planting, weeding,
watering, harvesting - but Jesus pointed out that the land produced the harvest
- and beyond that there was the unseen hand of God.

The man didn’t make the rain fall; he didn’t make the sun shine; the didn’t
put growing power in the dirt; he didn’t put life in the seed; he didn’t make
the seed crack open, sprout, blossom and produce. Yet he viewed his wealth as
the result of nothing but his own labors and intelligence - this is the mindset
of self from which greed springs. Jesus said, "If a man wishes to be my
disciple, he must deny self, take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Well, I’m not a farmer, Pastor, what’s this got to do with me? The
application is the same.

Who gives you the air to breathe?

Who gives you the ability to speak?

Who gives your body the ability to digest food and convert it into
strength?

Who gives you the ability to walk around?

Who put gravity in the earth so you don’t spin off out into space?

Who put you in the United States instead of in Ethiopia for example where
they are dying like flies, starving to death, or in the Sudan, where you would
probably be a slave?

James wrote that "every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the
Father on high, with Whom is no variableness or shadow of turning." In His plan
and in His faithfulness, you are surviving nd being blessed - that’s what this
has to do with you.

Listen to what King David prayed in 1 Chronicles 29:11-16 when he was
dedicating the materials that had been assembled for the building of the
temple.

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory
and the majesty; indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours
is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as Head over all. Both riches
and honor come from You, and You rule over all; and in Your hand is power and
might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now
therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious Name. All things come
from You, and from your hand we have given You…all this abundance that we have
provided to build You a house for Your Holy Name - it is from Your hand, and all
is Yours."

Notice that the people had brought all the materials but David acknowledges
that it came from the hand of God!

3 - The man was a fool because he didn’t understand the purpose of wealth.

He thought that wealth was to store up and to save. If used it was to be
consumed for his own lusts, ‘eat, drink and be merry’ he thought. He never gave
a thought, as the Old Testament said, to use it for the glory of God, for
offerings or sacrifices. Neither did he think of it as a gift to minister to
others’ needs. He never gave a thought when his barns were full to give some of
it away to help someone who was going through a dark time.

4 - The man was a fool because he saw his possessions as his security. Jesus
is our Security!

Not our job. Not our bank account. Not our stocks. Not our land.

Does the Bible say ‘your job will supply all your need?

Does the Bible say ‘your bank account will supply all your need?

Does the Bible say ‘your stocks will supply all your need?

Does the Bible say ‘your lands will supply all your need?

No! The Bible says, "My God will supply all your needs in accordance with His
riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19)

5 - This man was also a fool because of 2 things which he took for
granted:

1 - He took it for granted that he would always have his wealth in the
future.

2 - He took it for granted that he would be alive in the future. But as he
was saying, "I have many years…", God said, "Thou fool, tonight thy soul will be
required of thee." Someone else enjoyed his possessions, and he didn’t live to
enjoy any of it.

I close with this. Write it down because it’s so important. Giving makes the heart truly
rich.

Giving expresses thanksgiving to God

Giving makes your life a blessing to others.

Giving keeps your greed under control

Giving helps bring salvation to the lost

Giving proves that you value God and eternity more than the material things
of this world.

There is nothing in all of this against you making lots of money, being rich
and powerful; but the main principle here is to be rich toward God and to
possess treasures in heaven and it is giving that makes the heart truly rich
because it makes you rich toward God and deposits treasures in heaven.

Look carefully at verse 21 - "So is he that layeth up treasures for himself,
and is not rich toward God."

The idea is that we should be laying up treasures that will make us rich
toward God.

Look at verse 34 and verse 15 - "For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also...a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which
he possesseth"

Is your heart on God? Then your treasure will be.

Is your treasure on God? Then your heart will be.

Is your heart on treasure? Then your heart is on self.

You know, there are people in history who really did live completely for the
Lord and who gave all their possessions away for the Lord - they found they
really didn’t need it. George Mueller lived like that. He had a million dollars
pass through his hands when it was really worth a million.

A little stayed for food for the table to feed the orphans The rest went to
China and Hudson Taylor during the early days of the China Inland Mission.

So what did he end up with?

Riches toward God and treasures in heaven! Praise the Lord.

When I go down to Washington, I love to go to the Lincoln Memorial. No
problems with the architecture there as with some of the others - awesome to see
Lincoln sitting high on that chair - inspiring to read the words etched on the
walls from the Gettysburg address and the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s a
great memorial.

But take a look at the book of Acts, chapter 10, verses 1-4. Here’s a man who
was a Roman centurion. The Bible describes him as devout, he feared God, was a
man of steadfast prayer, and he was a giver. In verse 4 it says, "Thy prayers
and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God." Did you get that? A
memorial in heaven and before God - that is no doubt a memorial that puts any
earthly memorial in last place. Imagine having a Rogers Memorial, or a Gibbons
Memorial or a Bay Memorial in heaven before God when you get there.

That’s being rich toward God and laying up treasures in heaven!

If you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very
lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for
forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart
with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer
and personal Bible Study.

If you have never received Jesus Christ as Savior, but have come to realize His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to obtain His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can also do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you receive Him as Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually.

If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order -- Kingdom of Antichrist -- in their daily news.